The Munich Bach Choir - Press

“…The public were rewarded with an evening in which Christiane Iven was the radiant centre. Hansjörg Albrecht revealed with the Bach Choir and the Bach Collegium in every bar why this opera means so much to him: in his hands, the delicately spun choruses of the priestesses, bewitchingly sung by the female choir members, carried distant echoes of Bach´s passions.”

Klaus Kalschmid - SZ, 20 February 2008

“...However, a fairy cast a magic spell in a Gluck concert last Sunday: the Bach Choir and the Bach Collegium, playing on historical instruments, bewitched the audience with a taut “Iphigenie in Taurus” performed in the spirit of barock sound."

Robert Braunmüller - az, 19 February 2008

“... The mighty Christine Iven, in the title role, towered over the soloists with a soprano voice that effortlessly filled the hall, from pianissimo up to a robust forte. The choir sang flawlessly, the Bach Collegium played with a concentrated dedication....Albrecht showed again his instinct for drama; he savoured the full range of emotions, from love to grief and then on to fury, but without ever sacrificing his sense of taste and beauty.”

Matthias Bieber - tz,19 February 2008

Symphonic psalm

Honegger´s David Oratorio with the State Philharmonic Orchestra
“HJA conducted the oratorio, first performed in 1921, thoughtfully and clearly. The orchestra and choir achieved a differentiated performance that did justice to the various styles of the work. The result was a dramatic and absorbing realisation of the biblical material.”

Frank Pommer - LR, 16 January 2008

Christmas Oratorio – a homage to music

“For the past two and a half years, Albrecht has challenged the choir with a multitude of new tasks and ideas. With his constant striving for clarity, transparency and text-based musical expression, he has formed the choir into an outstanding and distinctive ensemble. Now Albrecht´s interpretation has come to maturity. Some of his tempi were more moderate than before, notably in the alto arias, sung with great intensity and expression by Ingeborg Danz...Under Albrecht´s direction, every chorus and choral had its own importance, its subtly expressed linguistic power. The result was a delightful opulence of musical expression, particularly in the latter three cantatas. The choir sang excellently and reacted flexibly to Albrecht´s slightest hints, and the Bach Collegium was equally attentive and played with great liveliness. Highlights were added once again by the various instrumental soloists, including two chitarrone players.”

Klaus Kalschmid - 27 December 2007

Resplendent and melodious sound

Philharmonie, Christmas Oratorio
“...Even after six cantatas, HJA was able to keep his Munich Bach Choir alert and attentive. Their singing revealed a lively presence of spirit, with rousingly flexible accentuation and form”.

Thomas Willmann - tz, December 2007

Bach should have composed operas

HJA presents a pasticcio of secular cantatas in the Prince Regent Theatre
“In his latest concert project, HJA presented in the PR Theatre the opera pasticcio “Dances of the Gods”, with music by JS Bach. HJA came up with the concept for this production, and was also responsible for its realisation. The pasticcio gave Albrecht the opportunity to pull out all the stops, and the music sounded fresh and sparkling from the orchestra. Albrecht is truly a lucky find for the choir. He has now succeeded in putting the ghost of Karl Richter to rest and has reached new dimensions of musical performance. In this way he achieves a lively, fresh and transparent sound. The enthusiastic Munich Bach Collegium is an ideal musical partner. Furthermore, HJA always manages to choose the right soloists.”

B. Winterstetter - Donaukurier, 11 October 2007

Heavenly celebration of the gods

"The Munich Bach Choir presented a truly divine evening in the PR Theatre with its “Dances of the Gods”. Ambitious and adventurous as he is, the choir´s conductor HJA has created something never achieved by Bach himself in his own lifetime: an opera. HJA´s musical intervention was intended as a continuation of Bach´s work. The choir, reduced in number for this project and noticeably younger than before, had a demanding part to sing. Like the choir, the Munich Bach Collegium, who played in a lively and accurate manner, were dressed all in black and arranged in a semicircle around Albrecht. A contrast was provided by the row of gods, the soloists, who were vocally homogeneous and sang and acted energetically and sensually.”